Three Words, Eight Letters
by justanoutlaw
Summary: No strings attached, that's what they agreed to. Then one night, Emma said three complicated little words to Regina.


This was a prompt submitted to me on Tumblr by its-a-story-of-love from a Disney sentence starter meme I reblogged:

"Face it like a grownup".

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Regina laid next to Emma, her eyes wide in panic. "What did you just say to me?"

"I love you," Emma repeated. She was on her side, her curls spilling down her bare shoulders as a sheet was wrapped around her. "I love you, Regina. I'm in love with you." A shy smile, one Regina had never seen before, was spread across her face.

"You…you just said…" Regina trailed off, shaking her head. She didn't think…it wasn't supposed to be like that.

The two had an arrangement: they once a week, Snow and David would take Henry for the night. Just as they had lost time as parents to make up for when it came to Emma, they had 11 years of being grandparents to make up for with him. Emma and Regina took the time to hook up. There was a tension between them that they couldn't deny any longer. They hadn't wanted to get anyone's hopes up, so it had all been done in secret.

It was just supposed to be that, though. Just sex. Once a week, Emma showed up to the mansion on Mifflin Street. They'd have a few glasses of wine and then end up in Regina's bed. The two women contained magic so strong, when the two became one, they were like a firework show.

Regina would be lying if she said that she hadn't thought about those 3 words before. She had deeper feelings for Emma, she was pretty sure she had ever since she showed up on her doorstep a year ago. They had gone from enemies to people who could barely tolerate each other for Henry's sake to now friends.

Still. It wasn't supposed to be like that. Regina had been in love before and it had ended terribly. Plus, she was positive that Emma didn't feel the same way. She could have anyone, she was the savior. Regina was a queen who was still trying to find redemption for all of her misdeeds.

Then all of the sudden, there it was. They typically laid there in silence after sex. Regina would eventually offer more wine and Emma would just say that she should probably head home before her parents got suspicious, as if she was a 16-year-old and not nearly 30. This time, her response had been three words. Three complicated little words.

Regina didn't say anything more in return. She got up out of bed and strutted towards her bathroom, locking the door. She ran her fingers through her hair, looking around the room in panic. She hadn't ever thought that she would hear those words come out of Emma's mouth but they had. A part of her wanted to run, escape out the window and head to her office. She could bury herself in paperwork and…

"No," she told herself, suddenly. They were in her house, her bedroom to be more precise. She wasn't going to run. "Face it like a grownup."

After splashing some cold water on her face, she opened the door again. Emma was out of the bed, trying to find her clothes. She had managed to get on her bra and underwear, reaching for her tank top. Regina gently took her arm.

"What are you doing?"

"I screwed up," she said, her voice filled with hurt. "Clearly."

Regina cleared her throat. "Emma…"

"I'm sorry I said that."

Regina's face fell. "You're sorry you said that you loved me?"

"I'm sorry that I freaked you out," Emma clarified. "I mean it, I'm not just going to take it back. I do love you, but clearly…you don't feel the same way. Look, I know what this is. It's just supposed to be a hook up. No strings attached, no feelings. I've done this kind of thing before, I should've known better. Let me just go home and we can pretend like it never happened."

"I love you too!"

Emma turned to her, the shirt falling from her hands. She tilted her head, reading Regina's face. Her superpower didn't always work, but with Regina, it did. She knew when she was lying and this time, she clearly wasn't. Even so, she wasn't sure if she wanted to believe it. Regina's reaction had been to run. There had to be a first time for everything…

"You don't have to say it just to make me feel better," Emma told her.

"Good thing I'm not then," Regina replied. "I love you Emma, I think I always have."

"But you said…"

"I guess it was just my way of being with you. I didn't think you could ever want me more than this. I've done so much…how can you possibly love me?"

Emma smiled, stepping closer to her. "You're my Regina. Why wouldn't I love you?"

Regina drew a deep breath, kissing her. Emma deepened it, wrapping her arms around her neck. When the two finally broke apart, Emma rested her forehead against hers.

"I think it's time we told people," she whispered.

"Are you sure? What about Henry? We said we didn't want to confuse him."

"There's nothing to be confused over. I love you, you love me. I want the whole world to know."

Regina thought about it for a minute, before a smile finally crept across her lips. "As you wish."

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As always, prompts are accepted on my Tumblr accounts: just-an-outlaw and justanoutlawfanfiction!


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